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Work is never far from Aloe Blacc‘s mind. In fact, it was a lack of work that led him to pursing music full-time.

“I was in business consulting,” he tells Radio.com. “I was helping hospitals improve their service and improve their collections.”

Of course, white-collar jobs like those are not guaranteed career paths, and indeed, his ended unexpectedly. “It just so happened that I got laid off and I had the chance to focus on my hobby full time.”

That led music to become his full-time career, and that career took off in a huge way last year when he sang on Avicii‘s “Wake Me Up,” which became a galactic hit for the EDM producer. Blacc recorded a stripped down version for his own album Lift Your Spirit, and the video was inspired by work as well: more specifically the issue of immigration and immigrant workers. He even collaborated with NDLON (National Day Laborer Organizing Network) on the video for the song.